Ginungagap

A Dungeon without End

Ginungagap

A day’s travel from Dammenheim rests the ancient ruin known as Ginungagap, an old Dwarven word meaning “The Yawning Void”. Its origins are unknown, as are its age, its purpose, and its power. For about 200 years, the Dwarves held the top four or five layers of the site as a fortress, but those who didn’t flee to Dammenheim mysteriously vanished. Every race claims to have a story about the ruin. The Nagaji say their first eggs were birthed from ancient serpent gods in the bowels of that cavern. Humans say it was there that an angel taught humanity the power of language in exchange for eternal life. Dwarves say their ancestors carved the complex and that it was taken by wicked forces from the abyssal pits beneath. Damphir whisper that beneath is the kingdom of the first vampires. Elves believe their ancient magics are locked away below, while drow think the elves of old locked away the proof of drow nobility in the caverns out of jealousy.

Whatever the truth may be, Ginungagap is an expansive dungeon whose depths have never been totally explored. Many adventuring parties gather to test themselves against the perilous traps and strange magics of the place, while bandits are known to hole up in an attempt to claim the dungeon as their own, or cults will seek out a place to practice fell magics and perform dark rituals. Ginungagap seems to always hold more treasure, more danger, and mysteries unexplained. Doors once open are now locked. Rooms shift. Spent traps are reset. A monster once slain now walks as a skeleton, zombie, or ghost. A symbol found below spreads to strange carvings above. Ginungagap defies understanding, but perhaps that is the draw: To gaze into the abyss, and see if Ginungagap will gaze back.